Too many years ago, I met Antionette Beck, the alter-ego of Lhaws Exec Secretary and the person he blamed for his lies to Parliament. I wonder if she doesn't pretend like that never happened? Honestly, how's a complete prat like him ever attain any standing? It is beyond my comprehension.

Well, there's our own Rob Hosking if you want a true blue but thoroughly reasonable chap, albeit I don't think he does much opinion journalism. As noted, I believe you could have a nice drink with Karl du Fresne and reach amicable conclusions on some subset of the worlds' problems without fear of violence. Fran O'Sullivan we've all bagged at one time or another, but she's not unreasonable per se, just starting from a very different set of political axioms. And so on. Laws has got nothing in common with the most of the right wing people writing in the NZ press and I don't think many of them would want or indeed deserve to be lumped in with him. The only "attraction" he offers to the SST op ed section is controversy.

I have just read his latest SST column. Based on that column and everything I've read and heard about him in the last few years, he is nasty, vicious, hypocritical, vindictive, sleazy, intolerant, and uninformed. I hate it when he waxes sentimental about his own kids as if he were a decent bloke and then lashes out brutally at poor people or disabled people.

I'd almost like the Hell's Angels to march down the main street of Whanganui in full regalia just to spite him.

As for print columnists out there, I've always been an admirer of Linley Boniface. She is wasted in the Health section of the Listener. (Her latest effort there is very shallow - homoeopathy mentioned uncritically etc) But she's witty, insightful and fluent when writing about issues of her own choice.

Honestly, how’s a complete prat like him ever attain any standing? It is beyond my comprehension

Name recognition, pure and simple. He kept his complete prattishness well disguised until he went off with Winston. After that, he was electable anywhere, as the burghers of Whanganui found out. Even crap can create its own momentum.

Watching the local government election from the inside last year was both educational and unnerving. Some of the people elected are absolute morons, and they've been getting elected for years, purely because people now know their names. It's the first time that's the hardest.

Surely they are not next to go? Does anyone know where they exactly are?

Outside my window. :)That mural’s the one to which Sofie refers on the corner of New North Road and Morningside Drive, behind the shops. It’s viewable from Morningside station (one stop west of Kingsland). There are other pieces right by the railway tracks on both sides*, in a car tunnel in the shops on the other side of New North Road, and on the end of that block, by the busstop.

The first one on the article you linked to is on the corner of Morningside Drive and New North Rd behind the dairy on the carpark wall. It is massive. Cant miss it, and you wouldn't want to, it's fantastic. Those others look like platforms to train stations.Guess you need to take a ride. :) Glad to see Jackie Clark had her Dad recognised in New Lynn. The point is though, it is in the eye of the beholder and one man cannot decide what I want to see (Mr Sheilds!) This bland (and often mismatched, not even similar toned,) blanket wall covering will sooner than you think, turn our world battleship grey. UGH!

And I see... "All together now" ;) Heather is faster than me writing in the dark

-- but suddenly Askew exploded on Twitter. He would not be painting the wall because, he said, the Auckland Council's graffiti prevention advisor, Rob Shields, had intervened. Shields spoke to the building's owner and convinced him that he, Shields, should take charge of the repainting of the private wall -- and stipulate its content. Askew was invited to apply to paint the wall, according to Shields' guidelines, which proposed a historical theme and (curiously for street art) no use of words in the painting.

I’d appreciate hearing from the mayor or councilors as to whether or not this is official policy.

Oh, I’ll be cynical enough to guess Len will be cheerfully playing “blame the officials” with the best of them. But may I suggest it’s an easy way to score some positive ink from people who are keenly aware that the next election will not be a referendum on John Banks.

Think they are very much self appointed. We had one badgering us to paint over a tag outside our work. Admittedly for free, but there was a point at which the line between community spirited service and judgemental stand over tactics became a bit blurry. We did let them paint the wall in the end, as it wasn't at all picturesque, but could see how they might just paint first and ask questions later in other circumstances.

In general, the issue of council officers’ power vs. that of elected representatives is worth discussing in the Super City.

It's worth discussing everywhere; because I truthfully have a lot of sympathy with officials who have to try and apply policies that have a high degree of, shall we be polite and say, politically useful strategic ambiguity. "Tagging is evil" is never going to lose anyone votes on the campaign trail, but making it work is another kete of kai moana entirely.

It's also politically useful that those despised bureaucrats can't (and shouldn't) respond to with the international sign for "dude, I've seen sceptic tanks less full of crap than you." (If you'd like to make one at home: Take one clenched fist, then fully extend your middle finger. Repeat until you feel better.)

He's like a Twinkie. Will still be edible in the post-zombie-apocalypse world, but not really very nice even when brand new.

I must say that after a mis-spent childhood reading comics that advertised these things, it was a major disappointment to actually eat one the first time I was in the USA. Talk about unmet expectations!